Israel to discuss military draft reform proposal
JERUSALEM (AP) -- An official Israeli committee on Thursday handed the government its proposal for ending a contentious system that grants Jewish ultra-Orthodox seminary students automatic exemptions from military service, setting the stage for what could become the first major conflict in the new Israeli coalition government....

Israel says Iran unaffected by world pressure
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel's prime minister says a new report by the U.N. atomic agency shows that international pressure is having no effect on halting Iran's suspect nuclear program....

US, Israel raise hopes for Mideast peace restart
JERUSALEM (AP) -- The United States and Israel raised hopes Thursday for a restart of the Middle East peace process, despite little tangible progress so far from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's two-month-old effort to get Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table....

AP Interview: Syria conflict uproots Palestinians
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) -- Syria's fighting has uprooted more than half of the country's 530,000 Palestinians - descendants of refugees from a Mideast conflict half a century ago - and their situation is becoming increasingly desperate, the head of a U.N. aid agency said Thursday....

Submerged structure stumps Israeli archaeologists
TIBERIAS, Israel (AP) -- The massive circular structure appears to be an archaeologists dream: a recently discovered antiquity that could reveal secrets of ancient life in the Middle East and is just waiting to be excavated....

Palestinians have little faith in Kerry effort
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) -- Palestinians believe the U.S. effort to restart peace talks is doomed, and they're preparing instead to resume their campaign of seeking membership in key international organizations as soon as next month, officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday....

Israeli air force chief warns of Syrian attacks
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel's air force chief warned Wednesday that tensions with Syria could escalate into a "surprise war" and that Israel needs to be ready....

Kerry praises $2.1 billion Raytheon deal in Oman
MUSCAT, Oman (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Wednesday with officials in Oman to discuss their plans to buy a $2.1 billion air defense system from American manufacturer Raytheon....

Young objector challenges Israeli army
JERUSALEM (AP) -- The Israeli military has jailed a young man for six months for refusing to serve because of his opposition to Israel's occupation of the West Bank, focusing attention on the longstanding conflict between the country's universal military service and divided political beliefs....

Palestinian group: Ruler rights abuses increasing
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) -- A Palestinian report shows human rights abuses by the rival governments in the West Bank and Gaza are on the rise....